


Sorry I'm Late

by a_cumberbatch



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Artist Steve Rogers, Bucky saves the day, Coffee Shops, First Dates, First Meetings, M/M, Meet-Cute, Modern Era, Pining Bucky Barnes, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Science Nerd Bucky Barnes, Steve Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 10:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21474181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_cumberbatch/pseuds/a_cumberbatch
Summary: It's been too long since Steve has been on a date. And now, it looks like he's been stood up.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 3
Kudos: 109





	Sorry I'm Late

I looked down at my watch for the thirtieth time since I got to the cafe. _We did say Friday, right? This Friday, right? Am I early? Oh God, I'm not late, am I? _The waitress stopped back at the table, giving me a pitying look.

"Your date running late?" 

Thanks for putting that so delicately. "Uh, looks like it."

"Well, do you want a refill while you wait?"

"Sure, thanks."

I rubbed my thumb against my palm, trying to ease my mind with a nervous habit. It didn't exactly work.

I knew this was a bad idea. Deep down, I knew asking Sharon on a date wouldn't work. I was so surprised when she said yes, but I was expecting something like this to happen. I mean, why would she want to go on a date with me? I was just a skinny kid who didn't know how to talk to girls and who'd gotten into more fights than I could count. And Sharon was so pretty and successful. What would a cybersecurity major who was already being recruited by all the top agencies in the country want with a painter who didn't know what he was doing past graduation? She was brains and brawn, and I... Well, I wasn't either of those things.

It didn't surprise me that Sharon didn't show up. And I knew she wasn't. She was supposed to be here half an hour ago, and I was still sitting here like a chump. 

"Okay, Steve," I mumbled under my breath."It's time to pack it up and go home."

I checked my phone one last time, secretly hoping I'd missed a text from Sharon. No such luck. I stood up, taking my coat from the back of my chair and throwing it over my arm. I jumped when I noticed someone was at my table.

"Sorry I'm late, babe."

I stared at the guy in front of me, not exactly sure what to say to him. To this stranger who was sitting down across from me now.

"Oh, look," the waitress said, suddenly materializing beside me. "Your date finally showed up." She turned to the man who was beaming at me. "You should really be thankful your boyfriend didn't leave you."

"He's the best, isn't he?"

She took his drink order and told us she'd be back in a few to get our orders.

All the while, I was staring at him. He had the prettiest blue eyes, angled jaw, and dark hair pulled into a messy bun. He had this black leather jacket over a faded NASA shirt that gave off such contrasting vibes. Then those blue eyes focused on me, and I swear, my heart skipped a beat.

"Sorry about dropping in like this," he said, a lopsided grin playing on his face. "I just couldn't help but notice that you were stood up. You look like such a great guy, so you don't deserve that."

"Thanks," I said, "but I don't need your pity. I was just going home, so you don't have to stay with me." I got back to my feet.

"No, wait." He reached out and grabbed my hand. "Stay, please."

I frowned. "Why?"

The guy blinked a few times like he didn't understand me. "What do you mean? Can't a guy want to have dinner with you just because?"

"Uh no, not in my experience."

He let go of my hand, taken aback by that. "Well, I do. So will you stay with me? At least let me get to know you a little bit."

There was part of me that was wanting to stay, wanting to say yes and just talk to this guy. But then there were warning bells going off in the other part of my mind. Because this guy was gorgeous, and there was no way he actually wanted to have dinner with me. Not as a date. Not unless this was a dare or something.

But man, I wanted to go out on a limb and try this. And if this didn't work out tonight, there wasn't much more I could lose from this already ruined date.

So I sat back down. "Alright then. I guess I can stay a bit longer."

He gave me the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. "Great. Now that we're officially on our date, what's your name?"

"An unorthodox order, I must say." I smiled back at him. "I'm Steve. Steve Rogers."

"Nice to meet you, Steve. My name is James, but you can call me Bucky."

I laughed. "Bucky? How did you get that from James?"

He rolled his eyes. "My mom was a history major, okay? She really liked the Civil War, and Dad said no to naming me Abraham. So I ended up with James Buchanan Barnes."

"Wow. Buchanan."

"Okay, _Steve_. What's your story?"

"Dad liked Steven and Grant is a family name. Steven Grant Rogers, simple as that."

Bucky leaned back in his chair. "Boring."

"Well," I said, "we can't all not prevent the Civil War."

"Oh, someone knows his history."

I took a drink of my water. "I can't serve in the military, so I figured I should at least learn all I can about our country and its history."

"Why can't you serve?"

"That's a story for another time."

"Alright, I expect it by our fourth date."

_Our fourth? He wants to spend more time with me?_

"Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds. But could I get you something to eat?"

* * *

"Could I walk you home?"

"Bucky, you already paid for dinner. You don't have to walk me home too."

"But I want to. You said you live on campus, right?" I nodded. "Then it won't be out of my way at all. I just want to make sure you get home safely."

I smiled, finally agreeing. "So, what are you majoring in?"

"You finally asked the most basic college question." He smirked down at me as we started walking toward my dorm. "I'm an aerospace engineer with a minor in Russian."

I gestured to his shirt. "You want to work at NASA?"

"Who doesn't? But yeah, NASA is the goal right now. I want to work on the rockets there and maybe go into space one day." He looked up at the stars with this awestruck expression. It was like he was already in space in his head. He was so beautiful, I didn't want to bring him back to Earth. "How about you?"

"Definitely not as impressive as a future astronaut. I'm a double major in painting and photography."

"Wow, really?"

"You don't have to pretend to be impressed."

Bucky stopped walking, grabbing onto my arm. "I'm not pretending. Why do you do that? Why do you put yourself down so much? I've known you for about an hour and a half, and I already know that you are an amazing person, Steve."

"You don't know me, Bucky."

"I know that you picked up two part-time jobs after your father died so your mom wouldn't have to work as hard. I know that you stood up for yourself and your friends and anyone else who was being picked on in school. I know you volunteer on weekends because you can't stand by when you can help someone worse off than you. I know you care about everyone. I know that you are kind and patient. I know that you waited for some girl who doesn't deserve you for half an hour because you promised her that you would be there. And that's only what you told me today." His hands slid down to hold mine tightly. "Don't talk about yourself like you are anything less than extraordinary."

"Why are you being so nice to me? Why are you..." I sighed. "I'm sure you could be doing much better things right now. I'm sure you could be with anyone. So why are you here with me?"

Bucky let go of my hands, clearly disappointed in my questions. "We had art history together last semester," he told me as we started walking again.

After he said that, it was so obvious. Of course, we had art history together. I didn't know how I could ever forget seeing his face in a class for an entire semester. "Yeah, we did." I remembered thinking that he was so out of my league in every circumstance that I wouldn't even try to look at him.

"I heard you the first week talking about one of these paintings from the Renaissance with the professor, and I wanted to talk to you so badly. But I never got the courage to actually do it. Every time I heard you in class, I wanted to talk to you more and more. Then I would have my chance, and I would just walk away because I lost my nerve once I saw you. I guess that's why I wanted to talk to you tonight. I wanted to meet the guy whose eyes lit up when he talked about brushstrokes and color theory. I wanted to make your eyes light up like that."

"Bucky-"

"So, no. There's nothing else I would want to be doing right now. There's no one I'd rather be with. I want to get to know you and laugh with you like tonight and I want to be the person who makes you realize that you're worth so much more than you think. I want you to see yourself the same way you see your favorite paintings."

"Bucky."

"Yeah?"

"This is my dorm."

He realized that we were stopped in front of a building and that I was leaving, and all he said was "Oh." 

"Thanks for tonight. I still can't believe it was real or that you think of me like that or that you're real. But I had a really good time." I scratched the back of my neck. "Would you want to do this again sometime?"

He smiled softly, all of his features glowing in the lights from the lobby. "I'd love to. Could I get your number then?"

I took his phone and created a contact, my fingers trembling as I typed. I was so nervous. _Bucky is interested in me. He's actually interested in me._ "I'll text you later then." I started to walk inside but decided against it after I made it to the door. "Hey, Bucky," I called, trying to sound confident and not stutter as he turned back from the sidewalk. "I know we just met and all, but I really want to kiss you."

"I thought you'd never ask." And then he was right there, pressing his soft lips to mine. I pulled him closer to me, like I couldn't get enough of the way his body felt against mine. And my fingers were in his hair and his hands were on my waist and I felt so lightheaded I could've fainted because I was so happy. I was so overwhelmed and I could barely breathe after a few moments. I didn't know if that was my asthma or just Bucky. Eventually, I had to pull away to properly catch my breath.

"Can I see you tomorrow?"

He pressed his forehead to mine. "Absolutely. And I won't be late this time."

I laughed and kissed him again.

* * *

Sharon walked up to me after English on Monday, an apologetic smile on her face. "Steve, I'm really sorry about Friday. Something came up. Do you want to reschedule?"

"No, that's okay, Sharon." I smiled, just thinking about the weekend with Bucky. "You don't have to apologize. Things worked out even better than I expected."


End file.
